Hattiesburg's service sector carries growth as goods-producing jobs slip.
+1.2% YoY
Metro nonfarm job growth
800 jobs added; service sector drove gains
7,300 jobs
Goods-producing employment
Down 200 YoY, diverging from service growth
54.4%
MS labor force participation
vs 62.2% U.S. rate
3.6%
Hattiesburg MSA unemployment
June 2026, most recent metro data available
This Month's Takeaways
01
Service jobs are carrying the metro; goods-producing output is not.
Service-providing employment rose 1.7% annually while goods-producing jobs fell to 7,300, a decline of 200 positions year-over-year. Any read on local economic momentum should separate these two trend lines rather than treat total nonfarm growth as uniform across sectors.
02
Participation, not unemployment, is the number that matters most.
Mississippi's 54.4% labor force participation rate sits nearly eight points below the national 62.2% figure, even as the state's 3.7% jobless rate now matches the U.S. average. A low unemployment rate paired with low participation is consistent with workforce exit rather than full employment, limiting how much new investment the region can staff without in-migration.
03
Metro pay trends mirror a broader bifurcation along skill and sector lines.
Hattiesburg figures show HVAC Technician and Financial Analyst advertised pay rising significantly while Electrician, Accountant, and Teacher pay moved down significantly — a split that echoes the national divergence between hands-on trades and white-collar administrative roles. That pattern is useful context for understanding which parts of the local business base are expanding versus contracting.
04
Manufacturing softness locally tracks a statewide layoff pattern.
Mississippi's 12 WARN notices in 2026 were led by manufacturing (8 notices, 596 workers), and Hattiesburg's own goods-producing employment decline fits that statewide signal. Commerce leaders evaluating industrial recruitment should weigh this against the Hitachi Energy investment announcement, which points to selective rather than broad-based manufacturing strength.
Local Economic Conditions
Hattiesburg MSA nonfarm employment grew 300 jobs month-over-month and 800 jobs annually (1.2%) through July 2026, with service-providing sectors driving nearly all of that gain while goods-producing employment slipped 200 jobs year-over-year to 7,300 — a divergence consistent with national patterns favoring health care and construction over manufacturing. Mississippi's statewide labor force participation rate of 54.4%, well below the 62.2% national rate, points to a structural supply constraint that likely shapes Hattiesburg's own absorptive capacity even as the metro unemployment rate held at a comparatively tight 3.6% in June.
Open Threads in the Data
Service-sector momentum alongside goods-producing softness suggests Hattiesburg's near-term growth capacity depends more on consumer-facing and health care activity than on manufacturing expansion, a distinction relevant to site-selection and investment-promotion conversations. Persistent labor force participation gaps mean population and workforce inflows — not just job creation — may be the binding constraint on how much new investment the metro can realistically absorb. Current conditions suggest local economic development messaging may benefit from pairing any new-employer announcements with workforce participation data, not unemployment rate alone.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Hattiesburg, MS MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$25,505 |
→ Stable |
596 |
| Retail Cashier |
$23,662 |
→ Stable |
334 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$30,721 |
→ Stable |
56 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$80,069 |
→ Stable |
388 |
| Delivery Driver |
$36,400 |
→ Stable |
151 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$34,320 |
↑ Moderate increase |
23 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$53,677 |
↓ Significant decline |
52 |
| HVAC Technician |
$60,281 |
↑ Significant increase |
10 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$30,420 |
→ Stable |
36 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$35,231 |
→ Stable |
131 |
| Operations Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$26,185 |
→ Stable |
27 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$30,160 |
→ Stable |
191 |
| Registered Nurse |
$80,118 |
→ Stable |
417 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$31,200 |
↓ Significant decline |
72 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$152,955 |
↑ Significant increase |
666 |
| Data Engineer |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$54,500 |
↓ Significant decline |
16 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$80,845 |
↑ Significant increase |
27 |
| Marketing Specialist |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
| Business Analyst |
$77,804 |
↓ Moderate decline |
454 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$81,928 |
↑ Significant increase |
296 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$28,063 |
↓ Significant decline |
159 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$80,000 |
→ Stable |
70 |
Industry Snapshot · Hattiesburg, MS MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↑ +4.4% |
↑ +147.6% |
| Manufacturing |
→ −1.3% |
↑ +152.7% |
| Retail Trade |
↓ −6.4% |
↑ +34.8% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↓ −17.6% |
↑ +34.8% |
| Information |
↑ +26.6% |
↑ +13.7% |
| Financial Activities |
↓ −7.8% |
↑ +66.7% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +21.7% |
↑ +42.0% |
| Education & Health Services |
↓ −23.3% |
→ +0.6% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −15.4% |
↑ +65.5% |
| Government |
↑ +78.9% |
↑ +466.7% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Data gap to resolve
BLS metro-level unemployment data for Hattiesburg lags national and state releases by roughly two months; the June reading of 3.6% is the most current available. Watch for the delayed July-August metro release, which will clarify whether the national September payroll slowdown reached this market.
Emerging pressure point
National wage growth has slipped to 3.0% annually against 3.4% inflation, the weakest real-wage picture since 2021. Whether Hattiesburg's largely stable advertised-pay figures hold or soften in the next data cycle will indicate whether local purchasing power is following the national trend or remaining insulated.
Worth watching
Mississippi's record August nonfarm employment of 1,199,800 jobs coincided with the Hitachi Energy investment announcement; any follow-through on site location or supplier activity in the Hattiesburg area would be a concrete test of whether that momentum extends beyond the Jackson metro.
Potential inflection point
National WARN filings show elevated activity among large employers (Amazon, Meta, Tyson Foods) even as overall layoff counts trend below 2025 levels. Local economic development offices should monitor whether any announced national restructuring touches regional distribution or logistics operations tied to Hattiesburg's transportation corridor.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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